get down
highinformal to neutral
Definition
Meaning
To move from a higher position to a lower one; to descend or lower oneself physically.
To lower one's body position; to cause depression or sadness; to dance energetically, especially to music with a strong beat; to write or record something; to swallow food or medicine; to focus seriously on a task; to leave a vehicle (chiefly British).
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Phrasal verb with multiple distinct meanings. The literal 'descend' meaning is neutral. Other meanings (e.g., 'dance', 'depress', 'write down') are informal. Transitive and intransitive uses exist depending on the sense.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
The vehicle sense ('get down from the bus') is more common in British English. American English typically uses 'get off'. The 'dance energetically' sense is strongly associated with American funk/soul/disco culture but is now通用.
Connotations
In both varieties, 'it gets me down' means 'it depresses me'. 'Get down!' as an exclamation to encourage dancing is strongly American in cultural origin but globally understood.
Frequency
Overall frequency is high in both varieties. The 'dance' sense may be slightly more frequent in American English due to cultural export. The 'descend' sense is equally common.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[intransitive] get down[transitive] get something down[intransitive] get down to something[transitive] get somebody downVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “get down to brass tacks”
- “get down on your knees”
- “get down and dirty”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Means 'to focus seriously on work/tasks' (e.g., 'Let's get down to the quarterly figures').
Academic
Primarily means 'to record in writing' (e.g., 'Get down all the observations'). The 'focus' sense is also used.
Everyday
Wide use: descend, dance, feel sad, swallow food, leave a vehicle (UK).
Technical
Limited. May be used literally in instructions (e.g., 'Get down from the ladder safely').
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The cat couldn't get down from the tree.
- I'll get down the minutes of the meeting.
- This rainy weather gets me down.
- We got down to Brighton by train.
American English
- Get down from that wall immediately!
- Let me get down your phone number.
- That song always makes me want to get down.
- We need to get down to the real issues.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- Get down from the chair!
- The baby is trying to get down.
- I can't get this pill down.
- Could you get down what he says?
- This grey weather gets me down.
- We finally got down to work after lunch.
- The negotiators agreed to get down to brass tacks.
- He got down on his knees to propose.
- The music was so good, everyone just got down and danced.
- The journalist struggled to get down the minister's evasive answers verbatim.
- After the initial pleasantries, the committee got down to the nitty-gritty of the budget.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a dog told to 'GET DOWN' from the sofa. The command combines movement (GET) and direction (DOWN).
Conceptual Metaphor
SAD IS DOWN (That news really got me down). SERIOUS WORK IS PHYSICAL ENGAGEMENT (We need to get down to work).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not translate word-for-word as 'получить вниз'.
- The 'depress' sense ('It gets me down') is not 'опускать меня'.
- The 'dance' sense is cultural, not merely 'танцевать'.
- 'Get down from the bus' (UK) ≠ 'слезать' in all contexts; 'get off' is often better.
Common Mistakes
- *I got down the book from the shelf. (Correct: I got the book down from the shelf.)
- Using 'get down' for 'reduce' (e.g., *get down the price).
- Confusing 'get down to' (focus) with 'get down on' (criticize).
Practice
Quiz
In British English, which sentence using 'get down' is most typical?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It is primarily informal. The literal meaning of descending can be neutral, but most extended meanings (dance, depress, write quickly) are informal.
For leaving vehicles, British English often uses 'get down from' (buses, lorries) or 'get off'. American English almost exclusively uses 'get off' for all vehicles. For other meanings, they are not interchangeable.
Yes, but only in the specific context of swallowing something with difficulty, often medicine. E.g., 'Try to get this soup down.' It does not mean 'to eat a meal' generally.
'Get down to' means to start doing something seriously, especially work. It is always followed by a noun or gerund: 'get down to business', 'get down to studying', 'get down to the details'.